Begin typing the name of a town near to you, and then select the town from the list of options
which appear below.

The simulation to the right shows the path of the Moon's shadow across the
Earth.

The red line shows the edge of the Moon's shadow: all places inside the red
circle will see the Moon covering some part of the Sun's disk. The yellow
contours within this show where the Moon appears to cover 20%, 40%, 60% and 80%
of the Sun.

The yellow spot in the centre of the Moon's shadow traces out where you would
need to be in space to see a total eclipse. Because this is only a partial
eclipse, it does not cross the Earth's surface at any point.

Eclipse map

The map below shows the parts of the world where the eclipse will be visible, which are highlighted within
the red contour. The yellow contours show the maximum extent of the eclipse, where the Moon appears to cover 20%,
40%, 60% and 80% of the Sun.

The eclipse geometry

Solar eclipses take place when the Earth moves through the Moon's shadow. The dark gray cone behind the Moon
indicates the region of space where the Moon appears to completely cover the Sun's disk (the Moon's umbra).
The light gray area around it shows where the Moon appears to partially cover the Sun's disk (the Moon's penumbra).

Solar eclipses occur when the Sun, Moon and Earth are aligned in an almost
exact straight line, with the Moon in the middle, such that the Moon passes in
front of the Sun. The diagram to the right shows this geometry, though for
clarity the Moon is drawn much closer to the Earth than it really is.

The Moon passes close to the Sun in the sky every month, at new moon, but
because the Moon's orbit around the Earth is tipped up by 5° relative to the Earth's orbit
around the Sun, the alignment usually isn't exact.

In the diagram below, the grid represents the plane of the Earth's orbit
around the Sun. As it circles the Earth, the Moon passes through the Earth–Sun plane twice each
month, at the points on the left and right labelled as nodes. A solar eclipse results when one
of these node crossings happens to coincide with new moon, which happens roughly once every six months. At
other times, the Moon typically passes a few degrees to the side of the Sun at new moon.

Even when a solar eclipse does occur, it will not be visible from the whole world.

The Moon is much smaller than the Earth, and so the shadow that it casts onto the Earth is never more than a
few hundred miles across. As the Moon moves relative to us, the shadow sweeps across the Earth, so that
different places see the eclipse at different times.

The Moon's orbit is tipped up by 5° relative to the Earth's orbit around the Sun, represented by the
grid above. New moons only create solar eclipses if they occur when the Moon is close to the Earth–Sun
plane, at points called the Moon's nodes.

The diagram below shows the Moon's shadow, with the Earth, Moon, and distance between them, drawn precisely to scale.
The pink region shows the region of space where the Moon would appear to completely cover the Sun, creating a total solar eclipse.
The blue region shows where the Moon would appear to partially cover the Sun, creating a partial solar eclipse.

The Earth is drawn twice on the right hand side, once at its closest possible distance from the Moon (left),
and then again at its furthest possible distance from the Moon (right).

The cross marks the maximum
distance from Moon at which a total eclipse is possible. Beyond this, the Moon appears too small to entirely
cover the Sun.

For comparison, the geometry of lunar eclipses is also shown below: the Earth's shadow is by contrast to the Moon's shadow, amply
large enough to cover the whole Moon at once, as happens in a total lunar eclipse.

The eclipse path

The chart to the right simulates how the eclipse will appear from
Ashburn between 19:43 and 01:43 EST.
The yellow disk represents the Sun, while the black disk represents the Moon.
No eclipse is visible from Ashburn, and so the Moon
never quite passes in front of the Sun.

The path of the eclipse will pass through:

Country

Percentage ofSun covered

Antarctica

40%

New Zealand

39%

Australia

37%

Norfolk Island

13%

New Caledonia

5%

Vanuatu

1%

Tonga

1%

Below, the path of the Moon's shadow is projected onto a flat map of the
world. As above, the red contour shows the edge of the Moon's shadow, and
encloses everywhere where the eclipse can be seen. The yellow contours show
where the Sun is 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% covered.

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Eclipse safety

Observing the Sun can be very dangerous if it is not done with the right
equipment. The Sun is the brightest object in the sky, and looking directly at
it can cause permanent eye damage within seconds. Viewing it through any
optical instrument – even a pair of binoculars or the finderscope on the
side of your telescope – can cause instant and permanent blindness.

If you have any doubts about whether your equipment is safe, it is best not to
risk using it. By far the safest thing to do is to go along to a public
observing event. Many astronomical societies are likely to be hosting observing
events on the day, and they'll be sure to welcome newcomers. You may meet some
new people at the same time as seeing the transit.

Many astronomy suppliers sell special special filters which are made for safe
solar viewing. These include aluminised mylar filters, or black polymer
filters, identified as suitable for direct viewing of the Sun. Check that the
filter has a CE mark, and a statement that it conforms to European Community
Directive 89/686/EEC. Alternatively, you can use a welder's glass rated at No.
14 or higher. Always read the manufacturer's instructions carefully.

Never attempt to make your own filter. In addition to visible light, the Sun
also produces prodigious amounts of infrared and ultraviolet radiation which
cannot be seen yet can still damage your eye. Even if a homebrew filter appears
adequate, it may allow this unseen radiation to pass.

Projecting an image of the Sun

Two example of low-cost cardboard solar projection boxes. These two are sold in the UK by Green Witch.

Another safe way to view solar eclipses is to buy a purpose-built solar
projection box.

These typically consist of a cardboard box with a small lens on one side. They
project an enlarged image of the Sun onto a white cardboard sheet inside the
box. Once the transit is over, they're also great for observing sunspots. They
are safe to use, quick to set up, and ideal for use with children and groups.

Further details

This eclipse is a member of Saros series
119. The position of the Sun at the moment of greatest eclipse will be:

Warning

Never attempt to point a pair of binoculars or a telescope at an object close to the Sun. Doing so
may result in immediate and permanent blindness.

Source

The simulations above were derived from the DE405 ephemeris published by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The position of the Moon's shadow is superimposed on maps of the world taken from the NASA Visible Earth project.

The list of countries from which the eclipse is visible was computed on the basis of shape files available from DIVA-GIS.

You may embed the animations and images above in your own website. They are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license, which allows you to copy and/or modify them, so long as you credit In-The-Sky.org.